Invitation To Show Off Your Stuff...

[ZachWasniak]

http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s664/ZachWasniak/IMAG0319_zps5efaf3ee.jpg

Hope everyone likes it..

[MusinkMan]

I'll share something from a while ago - this composition is made using the names of Allah, written in Diwani script, arranged within a stylized rendering of the word 'Allah'.

 

 

Salman

 

 

Salman, this is magnificent. It is the first I have seen of your work, although I knew it would be amazing due to the posts you have written. Although this is the first time I've actually seen it, I really like the looks of the Diwani calligraphy. It is beautiful work, and the colors make it even more so. Thank you so much for posting. I was hoping you would post something in this vein. Thanks also for the description of the text and the clever arrangement and layout within the word Allah. Beautiful work.

[MusinkMan]

http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s664/ZachWasniak/IMAG0319_zps5efaf3ee.jpg

Hope everyone likes it..

 

Yes bro! Very cool...insipirational words and nice to read. Post more!

[thang1thang2]

http://imgur.com/a/mgQKK

 

Insert disclaimer about how I suck at flourishing, have never really done it before, and how I should probably never attempt it again. Sorry it's so messy...

[caliken]

 

Salman

A beautiful rendition of a beautiful word. Thanks for posting.

 

Ken

Edited February 28, 2013 by caliken

[Stompie]

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj229/Popsjill/pens/DSCN1225_zpsc3be063b.jpg

[caliken]

Look at the deep shades of his flourishes. That's where the balance comes from. He has two very deep shades on the left, but three on the right. He has a dark capital letter at the left, but more somewhat shaded strokes on the right. The overall effect is one of balance. It's like how if you have a teeter-totter, you have to put two skinny kids on one side to make up for the kid who has a hershey's bar twice a day on the other end...

Musinkman & tghang1thang2

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

thang1thang2 has it exactly right in the above assessment. "The page is more important than the line". I think that there are two types of symmetery. 1) Mirror symmetery is the easiest to achieve with the same decoration at both sides in reflection. 2) Visual symetery which I've used here, where the elements are not necessarily the same, but give a visual, overall textural balance to the complete piece.

 

As to the techniques involved; I have no idea what others do, but this was the method I used.

 

I wrote the word "Knowledge" in ink with two sizes of broad-edged nibs. I wrote this two or three times antil I was satisfied with it. Referring to "The Universal Penman" for inspiration /ideas, I then drew in the flourishing freehand, very lightly in pencil. Without being too specific, I tried to emulate the general feeling of the ornate headings which proliferate this magnificent book. After many attempts and much gentle rubbing out, I arrived at the finished design. I spent a lot of time making small adjustments to the weight of the shading at various points to achieve a visual balance. I then drew in the shading as normal, in black ink with the same Gillott 303 flexible nib throughout. Once dry, I carefully removed the faint pencil. I was happy with the eventual result, but this is very subjective and must be up to the viewer to judge.

 

I doubt if this degree of flourishing is ever done entirely freehand, without any planning. There are just too many things that can go wrong. I don't always work from a pencil "template". On simpler flourishing I sometimes create the flourish roughly and then copy it by eye onto the finished work.

 

Writing the text was straightforward with no planning necessary. I took the x height and the line spacing from UP examples.

 

Ken

Edited February 28, 2013 by caliken

[ZachWasniak]

http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s664/ZachWasniak/IMAG0319_zps5efaf3ee.jpg

Hope everyone likes it..

 

Yes bro! Very cool...insipirational words and nice to read. Post more!

Will do, thanks for the feedback!

[medicalcpa]

 

I love this Uncial - this is my favorite so far. Thanks for sharing this.

 

Salman

 

Coming from someone whose work I've long admired in secret, this means a lot to me. Thank you.

[caliken]

Geeez, thanks so much for posting. ---more, more more... :clap1: :clap1: :clap1:

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/Letterincolour800.jpg

[thang1thang2]

Well if I had to judge, I'd call it a roaring success. You could make the most ugly writing look beautiful. Luckily, your writing is gorgeous and thus you make it look even more amazing.

 

 

I'll attach my images this time so they'll show up. Using album links doesn't seem to be popular here so I'll be sure to attach my work in the future (perhaps even take the extra time to scan it...)

[MusinkMan]

Ken, I just have to shake my head in disbelief at this. The gradation of the colours is breathtaking. The lettering is so consistent and so excellent in every way. Slant, size, width, aspect ratio. I have to ask, is this close to actual size of the text? How in the world.....? If you don't mind me asking, what italic nib did you use for this? I have only one at present, a Brause Bandzug in 1.5mm. I toyed with it a little, but it didn't work out too well for me somehow. My cheap little Lamy Safari with a 1.5mm nib looked better, and I do realize that's probably because I'm so inept at an italic dip pen. Oh wait, I have a bunch of Speedball C's. Those are broad nibs, I forgot all about those.

 

To get these perfect slants and these excellent ascender heights to be so consistent, do you use guidelines or something? I'm thinking that I probably should be putting some kind of slant guidelines behind my page on my lightbox or something. That would sure help me keep consistency with slant...but I'll have to ask another dumb question...should I be working on the ability to do that without guidelines? I mean, is that considered "cheating" or "only for beginners" in the world of calligraphy?

 

Well, back to your work...I love the color, and the calligraphy is impeccable.

 

Oh...one last dumb question...what can be done (if anything) when you letter a large work like this, and you somehow have a blooper about 3/4 of the way through it. A misspelled word, or a drop of ink that splatted onto the middle of your text. A favorite one of mine is if I'm writing (for example) the word "made"...I'll write a "d" instead of an "a". Other than starting over, is there a way of fixing that or scratching it off or something? (I have a feeling I know the answer, but thought there might be a trick of the trade to correct it).

 

Thanks again, Ken. You continue wow us all.

[MusinkMan]

Well if I had to judge, I'd call it a roaring success. You could make the most ugly writing look beautiful. Luckily, your writing is gorgeous and thus you make it look even more amazing.

 

 

I'll attach my images this time so they'll show up. Using album links doesn't seem to be popular here so I'll be sure to attach my work in the future (perhaps even take the extra time to scan it...)

 

There ya go Thang! upload those puppies onto the page. So, what did you use here? I mean, what kind of pen. I can learn a lot by studying something like this, seeing the directions of your strokes. Nice!

[ZachWasniak]

Well if I had to judge, I'd call it a roaring success. You could make the most ugly writing look beautiful. Luckily, your writing is gorgeous and thus you make it look even more amazing.

 

 

I'll attach my images this time so they'll show up. Using album links doesn't seem to be popular here so I'll be sure to attach my work in the future (perhaps even take the extra time to scan it...)

Amazing work!

[thang1thang2]

There ya go Thang! upload those puppies onto the page. So, what did you use here? I mean, what kind of pen. I can learn a lot by studying something like this, seeing the directions of your strokes. Nice!

 

It's a waterman laureat, m sized nib! And I just kinda goofed around on the page. Were I to plan something, I'm sure it would look better. Maybe I'll upload a poem or something tonight...

 

Amazing work!

 

Thanks!

[ZachWasniak]

There ya go Thang! upload those puppies onto the page. So, what did you use here? I mean, what kind of pen. I can learn a lot by studying something like this, seeing the directions of your strokes. Nice!

 

It's a waterman laureat, m sized nib! And I just kinda goofed around on the page. Were I to plan something, I'm sure it would look better. Maybe I'll upload a poem or something tonight...

 

Amazing work!

 

Thanks!

No problem!

[caliken]

quote name='MusinkMan' timestamp='1362099529' post='2614033'][

What can be done (if anything) when you letter a large work like this, and you somehow have a blooper about 3/4 of the way through it. A misspelled word, or a drop of ink that splatted onto the middle of your text. A favorite one of mine is if I'm writing (for example) the word "made"...I'll write a "d" instead of an "a". Other than starting over, is there a way of fixing that or scratching it off or something? (I have a feeling I know the answer, but thought there might be a trick of the trade to correct it).

 

If the mistake just means replacing a couple of letters such as in "her" instead of "his" there is a very useful technique.

 

First of all, don't try to remove the wrong letters completely with a scalpel or rubber - this will destroy the surface of the paper and writing on top of the erased area will produce instant feathering. Instead, write the correct letters directly on top of the mistake, and leave to dry - preferably overnight. Then with a new scalpel blade and a very light touch, carefully remove the parts of the original letters which still show, using a soft rubber to remove the scrapings from time to time. When finished, burnish the area with the back of a finger nail.

 

If done carefully, the resulting correction will be virtually impossible to detect.

 

Here are the three stages -

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/hisher500.jpg

Edited March 1, 2013 by caliken

[subramaniyam]

Geeez, thanks so much for posting. ---more, more more... :clap1: :clap1: :clap1:

 

 

Wow. The floors in my room are getting mopped with drool. :-)/.

[MusinkMan]

 

If the mistake just means replacing a couple of letters such as in "her" instead of "his" there is a very useful technique.

 

First of all, don't try to remove the wrong letters completely with a scalpel or rubber - this will destroy the surface of the paper and writing on top of the erased area will produce instant feathering. Instead, write the correct letters directly on top of the mistake, and leave to dry - preferably overnight. Then with a new scalpel blade and a very light touch, carefully remove the parts of the original letters which still show, using a soft rubber to remove the scrapings from time to time. When finished, burnish the area with the back of a finger nail.

 

If done carefully, the resulting correction will be virtually impossible to detect.

 

Here are the three stages -

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/caliken_2007/hisher500.jpg

 

I've never tried that, but what a great idea! Thanks Ken! Is this only for 'special papers' that keep the ink "on the surface"? I know that ink can soak down into the paper, sometimes even bleeding through on the backside a little. I would imagine in a case like that, this wouldn't work?

[caliken]

I've never tried that, but what a great idea! Thanks Ken! Is this only for 'special papers' that keep the ink "on the surface"? I know that ink can soak down into the paper, sometimes even bleeding through on the backside a little. I would imagine in a case like that, this wouldn't work?

That's right...it wouldn't work on paper like that, with bleedthrough. The writing would have to be on a good, substantial paper to start with.

 

Of course, if you're writing on prepared calfskin vellum, there's no problem. You can scratch away to your hearts content and the surface remains perfect for writing on, and repairs are invisible!

 

Ken